Oscilloscopes and waveform generators are common instruments used by electrical engineers and technicians. Often both instruments are used together. For example, the waveform generator can provide a stimulus signal to a device-under-test (DUT), and the oscilloscope can subsequently measure or display the output signals provided by the DUT responsive to the stimulus signal. The oscilloscope can also be triggered by the waveform generator.
In general, the oscilloscope and the waveform generator are provided independent of each other. In some cases, the oscilloscope and the waveform generator may be disposed within a same housing. In either case however, the oscilloscope operates independently of the waveform generator. A limitation of this arrangement is that to trigger the oscilloscope responsive to the waveform generator, external cables are relied upon to connect to an output of the waveform generator and to an input of the oscilloscope. Typically, a signal splitter is attached to the output of the waveform generator, and a first output of the signal splitter is attached to the DUT and a second output of the signal splitter may be connected to an external trigger or auxiliary input of the oscilloscope, for example. The signal splitter however reduces the signal amplitude of the waveform generator output available to the DUT, e.g., by as much as 6 dB, which results in a lower quality signal provided to the oscilloscope. Also, because one of the inputs on the oscilloscope must be used to receive the trigger from the waveform generator, the total number of inputs on the oscilloscope available for measurement of signals from the DUT is reduced, which limits how the oscilloscope may be used.
What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus that overcomes at least the shortcomings of known oscilloscopes described above.